


In These Arms, Part II: The Politics Of Peace

by mrpicard



Series: Star Trek: TNG - In These Arms [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Drama, Enterprise, Klingons, M/M, Mild Gore, Romance, Romulans, Slash, Starship Enterprise (Star Trek)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-15 00:46:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1284955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The peace treaty between the Federation and the Romulan Empire is about to be signed - which is not to everyone's liking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The silence that dominated the dimly lit bridge of the Klingon battle cruiser Targ was not only completely un-characteristic but also quite eerie. The warriors who normally told each other stories of battles or even broke into song from time to time were gathered around the science station, looking at the figures on its display in complete and utter disbelief.  
  
Captain K'Tok was the first to find his voice. "Those treacherous eels! I will personally cut every single -"  
  
A loud alert klaxon interrupted him.  
  
The other bridge officers, jolted out of their frozen state by this unmistakable battle cry, jumped to their consoles.  
  
"A Romulan warbird has decloaked right in front of us!" the weapons officer exclaimed. "They're firing on us!"  
  
K’Tok staggered to his chair while the ship lurched to the left. "Return fire, you fool! Don't wait for my orders!"  
  
The young warrior snarled and punched his weapons console furiously. "I can't! They have disabled our weapons array! Their first shot went right through the shields!"  
  
"What?! How is this possible?!" K'Tok roared.  
  
"They must've known our shield frequency!" the science officer shouted over the noise of exploding consoles. "The shields are still up!"  
  
K'Tok clenched his hands into fists. "Then why did they target our weapons array? They could've destroyed us with one single shot!"  
  
The ship lurched forward. "They're firing at us again! Shields are now down to 60 percent!"  
  
"What are these dishonorable petaQs up to?!" K'Tok demanded angrily.  
  
Before his question could even be addressed, however, the bulkhead to his left gave way, fell and smashed his body to a bloody mess of muscles and bones.


	2. Chapter 2

"Captain's log, supplemental. The Enterprise has arrived in orbit around Galorndon Core for the final part of the peace treaty negotiations between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. This is a momentous occasion, and therefore both the Federation Council and the Romulan Senate have ordered their respective flagship crews to be present as a sign of mutual understanding and respect."  
  
Picard tugged at the collar of his white dress uniform - it was still very uncomfortable to wear, despite the ship's tailor's assurances that he had taken care of the problem.  
  
"However, I find myself having quite a few reservations when it comes to this treaty. The Romulans have proven on numerous occasions that they tend to have their own secret agenda - and this agenda has rarely ever matched official Federation policy."  
  
He paused long enough for the computer to understand that he had ended his log entry and then he turned around and looked at the young man who was sitting on the chair behind the large desk.  
  
"Are you sure it's wise to voice your concerns in your official log instead of your personal one?" Alex asked.  
  
"No, I'm not." Picard began to pace. "But I don't want history to think that the Federation went into this blindly."  
  
Alex leaned back in Picard's chair. "For what it's worth, I agree with you. The Romulans aren't very trustworthy. They have become somewhat more reliable ever since Donatra was elected Praetor, but still. I'd be very, very cautious."  
  
"Unfortunately, the Federation Council agrees with neither of us," Picard replied. "They wanted these negotiations and they were willing to accept quite a few Romulan demands along with them - that is what I am most concerned about."  
  
"You mean claiming half of the Romulan Neutral Zone and a few planets along the border in Federation territory."  
  
"Yes. I can't believe that the Federation - and Starfleet - are stumbling into such a situation again. I thought they had learned their lesson after the Maquis disaster."  
  
"Like you said, they just really want this treaty, which is why they give a damn about the colonists on those planets. They'll offer re-location to them but as soon as they stick to their rightful claim of the planets on which they live, they'll find themselves under Romulan jurisdiction. It's a disgrace - moving people around like figures on a chess board isn't what the Federation was supposed to be about."  
  
"Now, now." Picard walked over to his closet, took out a pair of polished black boots and put them on. "This is putting things quite drastically. These colonists will be offered full compensation and alternative planets to settle on."  
  
"They won't give a shit about that," Alex objected. "They'll want _their_ planet. It's their home, y’know?"  
  
Picard looked up. "Is there something you haven't told me? Such as being a member of the former Maquis? You sound just like they did."  
  
Alex waved his hand. "No. I'm just sympathetic to their cause. I don't particularly like the methods they resorted to using. Besides, I'd barely left school when the Maquis began to show up. I was only 19. And I was living on Earth, I was nowhere near Cardassian space. You can look that up if you want."  
  
"I'm sorry." Picard rubbed his forehead and then began to pace again. "And... I keep forgetting about your age."  
  
"I'm glad, actually - I'd hate it if you rubbed it in all the time that I'm somewhat younger than you are. Because it doesn't matter to me. And neither should it matter to you or anyone else. Not that there _is_ anyone else to weigh in at this point, of course."  
  
Picard sighed. "I know... I should tell the crew about us. It's not fair to you to be forced to sneak into my quarters all the time. I've allowed for this to go on for far too long."  
  
"Well, it does have its fascinating side." Alex stood up, walked up to Picard and put his arms around him. "Meeting in Jefferies Tubes and empty cargo bays gives me a certain 'us against the rest of the galaxy' feeling."  
  
Picard smiled shyly at his lover. "I never thought I'd meet someone who understands things like this and is willing to give me the time that I need."  
  
"I may not be an officer myself, but thanks to you I do have a vague understanding of what it means to be the captain of a starship," Alex said and kissed the tip of Picard's nose. "And now, enough of this - you've got an appointment down on Galorndon Core if I'm not mistaken."  
  


 

**********

  
  
  
Picard looked around in the huge hall into which he had just been beamed along with the rest of his senior staff. The floor, walls and even the chairs and tables seemed to be made of stone, which made perfect sense - after all, Galorndon Core was one big rock in space. The atmospheric weather control system that a team of terraformers had installed on the planet several years ago had performed small miracles in eradicating the electromagnetic storms, which had made the whole planet a lot more habitable and a lot less dangerous than before; and yet it was still mostly empty except for this Federation outpost that had been built right after the Shinzon incident.  
  
'There was a time when establishing an outpost on this planet would have been viewed as an act of war,' Picard thought and was reminded once more of the Galorndon Core incident with the Romulan centurion named Bochra. He remembered it well, and who he remembered even better was the Romulan commander named Tomalak who had crossed into Federation space to retrieve his officer - that very same commander who was now sitting only a few meters away and in front of a small group of Romulan officers.  
  
"Tomalak?!" LaForge whispered from the right. "Don't tell me he's in command of the Romulan flagship...?!”  
  
"Mr. LaForge," Picard said softly, which silenced his chief engineer immediately.  
  
"Captain Picard - welcome to Galorndon Core! I'm pleased that you and your crew could make it here on time!"  
  
Picard bowed slightly in the direction of Praetor Donatra, who had spoken from behind a long black table that had been set up in the middle of the hall. She was sitting on the biggest chair, the members of the Romulan delegation to her left and right. On the opposite side of the table was the Federation delegation whose members had all turned around on their chairs in order to look at the new arrivals.  
  
Picard stepped forward. "Thank you, Praetor Donatra. It's an honor to be here." He nodded at the man who was sitting across the table from Donatra. "Ambassador Kelley."  
  
The older man returned the nod. "Captain."  
  
Donatra smiled and pointed at a group of chairs that had been put up next to where Tomalak and his crew were sitting. "Have a seat."  
  
"Thank you, Praetor." Picard walked over to the chairs, his senior staff following closely behind him.  
  


 

**********

  
  
  
Picard was just beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable on the cold chair when Donatra suddenly stood up. "This concludes our negotiations. The treaty is now ready to be signed. I would like to ask the commanding officers of both flagships to stand up and step forward."  
  
Picard and Tomalak got up and walked up to the table without looking at each other.  
  
"This is a significant moment in history," Donatra continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two officers. "What has not been thought possible on either side for a long, long time is coming true today. We will be allies, not enemies. Our ships will fight together instead of against each other. We will build bridges instead of walls. We will cooperate, not compete. We will -"  
  
"You will do _nothing_!" a loud voice suddenly shouted from the door.  
  
Picard whirled around and was shocked to see at least ten Klingons standing there, disruptors raised at everyone present. His crew had jumped up from their chairs (as had Tomalak's), but none of them had moved any further - Klingon disruptors did not exactly have much of a stun setting, after all.  
  
"Captain!" An unarmed Klingon stepped forward and walked up to Picard.  
  
"Chancellor Martok?!" Picard was unable to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"These Romulan cowards are planning a full-scale war against the Klingon Empire! If you don't agree to immediately examine the evidence we have brought the Federation-Klingon alliance will fall here and now - and you will all die!"  
  
Picard glanced over his shoulder and at the scared diplomats sitting at the table behind him. Ambassador Kelley looked at Donatra, who looked back at him and nodded slightly. Only then did the man return Picard's gaze and nod briefly in approval.  
  
"Very well, Chancellor," Picard said calmly. "Just ask your men to lower their weapons and we can discuss -"  
  
"You - and only you - will come with me to my ship," Martok interrupted. "Now."  
  
Picard sighed inwardly - one thing that hadn't changed at all was the fact that Klingons were still somewhat... _impulsive_. "Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

"If you hadn't agreed to come with me I would have killed you with my bare hands," Martok said, folded his arms across the chest and leaned against the desk of the rather small conference room. There were no chairs to sit on - after all, Klingons did not believe in long senior officer meetings.  
  
"You would have been welcome to try," Picard replied calmly. "I hope this 'evidence' of yours will be worth all this. If not -"  
  
"It shouldn't be needed in the first place," Martok interrupted. "Our word alone should be good enough!"  
  
Picard had a hard time not to show his irritation - and yet he could not deny that he was also worried. He was used to Klingon arrogance and there was a great deal of it in Martok's behavior, but Picard knew that the Klingon would never have done what he did if he didn't have the necessary evidence to back up his words.  
  
"I would be delighted to debate the differences between Federation and Klingon evidence policy with you, Chancellor, but that is not what I was forced to come here for," he said. "I would like to proceed with the task at hand."  
  
Martok growled, pulled an isolinear chip out of one of his uniform pockets and handed it to Picard. "This contains precise Romulan plans for an invasion of the Klingon Empire."  
  
Picard was unmoved. "What kind of plans?"  
  
Martok began to pace. "The schematics on this chip prove that the Romulans are building outposts and docking stations in the Romulan Neutral Zone near the Klingon side of the border."  
  
"What? I find that hard to believe. Why didn't you detect any of this until now? Where did you get these schematics?"  
  
Martok walked up to Picard and stopped only a few inches away from him. However, much to his frustration, the Starfleet captain didn't even flinch - on the contrary, he calmly returned Martok's gaze.  
  
"The Federation's need for lengthy explanations is what is going to lead to its destruction one day."  
  
"Perhaps - but the sooner you start one of these 'lengthy explanations', the sooner we will be able to come to a decision," Picard replied matter-of-factly.  
  
Martok resumed his pacing. "We did detect a traffic increase in the border region in recent months. However, none of the ships that appeared were Romulan. We monitored the activity but there didn't seem to be anything suspicious about it - there _is_ a Ferengi trade route nearby." He paused for a few seconds before he continued. "Two weeks ago the Targ, an old Klingon battle cruiser, was on a routine patrol mission near the Romulan Neutral Zone when they picked up strange readings from one of the planets inside the zone. There was a slight disagreement about whether to investigate since their cloaking device was not operational, but in the end Captain K'Tok decided that it would be worth the risk, given the strangeness of the readings. They investigated and found a malfunctioning cloaking device that belonged to a satellite in orbit around -"  
  
"Are you telling me that an uncloaked Klingon ship crossed into the Romulan Neutral Zone solely on the basis of a 'strange reading'?" Picard interrupted angrily.  
  
"Don't tell me that _you_ have never done this before," Martok retorted. "The Targ scanned the satellite and found an encrypted file in its database - it had been stored there to be picked up by a Romulan ship. They left the Neutral Zone, decoded the file and were looking at what was in it when a Romulan warbird decloaked right in front of them and opened fire. It disabled the weapons array of the Targ with its very first shot."  
  
"That sounds unlikely - Klingon ships tend to raise their shields when they are this close to enemy territory."  
  
"They had their shields raised," Martok confirmed.  
  
"Then how did the Romulans disable the weapons array so quickly?" Picard asked. "The warbird outguns the battle cruiser, granted, but this shouldn't be possible, not with the very first shot."  
  
"It was," Martok growled. "It's all on the chip - look at the sensor logs yourself if you don't believe me!"  
  
"Very well... go on."  
  
"The Romulans continued to fire on the battle cruiser, but this time they hit the shields - the Targ's chief engineer had been quick enough to change the shield frequencies. The crew of the Targ defended themselves honorably, even after the death of their captain, but it was only a matter of time before the warbird would destroy them. But the K'Teng, a Negh'Var class ship, was in the area and recevied the Targ's distress call and came to its defense. The Romulans ran like the cowards that they are."  
  
Picard raised his hand in which he was holding the chip. "It would not be the first time for the Romulans to falsify information. They probably _wanted_ you to find these schematics."  
  
"We thought the same as well." Martok stopped pacing and leaned against the desk again. "However, we changed our opinion after we saw the data our cloaked flagship collected when they investigated one of the construction sites. These sensor logs are all on the chip as well." He glared at Picard with his one eye. "It was all there, just like it is described in the schematics. There is no doubt about it - the Romulans are preparing an invasion of the Klingon Empire. The Federation cannot be allied with us and drink Romulan Ale with those who are about to go to war with us."  
  
Picard took a deep breath. "Chancellor, I will have to ask my chief engineer to take a thorough look at all of this first."  
  
"What about your treaty with the Romulans?"  
  
"I will ask the Federation ambassador to put the negotiations on hold until this matter has been resolved."  
  
"What?!" Martok exclaimed and walked up to Picard again. "You're not going to withdraw from them immediately?"  
  
"This is the best I can offer you at this point."  
  
"I knew it would be a waste of time to come to you with this!" Martok roared. "All you humans ever want to do is talk!"  
  
"What would you have me do, Chancellor?" Picard demanded sharply. "March up to Praetor Donatra and stab a Mek'leth through her heart?"  
  
Martok froze in surprise for a moment - and then he laughed out loud and slammed his hand down on Picard's shoulder. "Spoken like a Klingon - there might be hope for you yet. But I'm warning you, Picard. Do _not_ test our loyalty to our Federation allies for too long."

 

 

 

**********

  
  
  
  
Picard rubbed his tired eyes and then once more picked up the PADD that he had been reading. It contained the sensor logs and the schematics that Martok had given him - and, the more often he read them, the less he liked what he saw. Because, as much as his mind wanted to dismiss the thought, everything pointed towards the fact that the Klingons were actually right. But then, he was not an engineer - maybe LaForge would come to a different conclusion?  
  
He recalled the rather unpleasant conversation that he had had with Ambassador Kelley about half an hour ago. He had informed him of the situation and the admiral had, understandably, not been pleased about the additional time Picard had requested from him.  
  
"The Romulans aren't going to wait forever," he had said and then gone on to explain that the members of the Romulan delegation appeared to be as surprised as the ones from the Federation.  
  
Picard still had his doubts about this - when it came to Romulans, he trusted only his own senses. On the other hand, it was entirely possible that the Romulan delegation really did not know anything. There were certain forces in the Romulan Empire that had their own agenda, and -  
  
His communicator chirped and he tapped it. "Picard?"  
  
" _Jean-Luc? You forgot our date? It's getting somewhat boring in this Jefferies Tube._ "  
  
"Alexander?!" Picard put the PADD on his desk. "I'm so sorry, I forgot... there has been an incident, and -"  
  
" _I know. The Klingons._ " Alex paused for a second. " _You ain't gonna come down here, right?_ "  
  
"I would like to - very much so - but Commander LaForge is going to contact me as soon as he is finished with analyzing the schematics and sensor logs. I really need to be available at this point."  
  
" _It's okay,_ " Alex replied. " _I'll call you later._ "  
  
"Very well. Picard out."  
  
The captain looked back at his PADD but found himself unable to concentrate.  
  
' _It's perfectly fine to tell him that I'm busy. He knew what he was getting himself into. I warned him about my duty being more important to me than anything else._ '  
  
Even while he was thinking these thoughts he wondered if they were actually true. Yes, he was busy - but still, he could have told Alex to come to his quarters. So, why had he said what he had said?  
  
' _Because you're afraid of letting him get too close. You want to carry the burden of command alone._ '  
  
He sighed deeply, picked up the PADD and tried to read its content once more - but was also once more unable to do so. He put the PADD down, stood up from his chair and ran his hand over his bald head.  
  
' _This is foolish!_ '  
  
The door chimed.  
  
"Come!"  
  
The door opened - and Alex was standing in the doorway. "Hey."  
  
Picard stared at him.  
  
"I know it's a bad idea for me to show up at your door like this, but you... you sounded like as if you could use someone to talk to."  
  
"Did I?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You're very good at reading between the lines."  
  
"I'm a bartender. It's my job to read between the lines."  
  
Picard smiled slightly. "True. Well, then... come in."

 

 

 

**********

  
  
  
  
"So, as you can see, I'm in a somewhat difficult situation at this point," Picard said and took a final sip from his cup of Earl Grey.  
  
Alex put his cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "I agree. What all this _really_ comes down to, though, is that it's now basically up to _you_ to find the right balance between not angering the Romulans and calming down the Klingons."  
  
"If there even _is_ such a thing as a 'balance' between these two species," Picard sighed and put his empty cup on the table.  
  
"Indeed." Alex leaned back in his chair. "You know... in a way, Martok actually helped you."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"He stopped the Federation from signing that treaty. If the Romulans really are ready to invade the Klingon Empire, imagine what would have happened if the Federation had allied itself with them. Both the Klingons and the Romulans would've asked you to fight on their side. You would have had to pick one of them sooner or later - dancing around on the thin line of not angering either empire would not have worked for very long. And, forgive me for saying that... but I don't think Starfleet is in any shape for yet _another_ war."  
  
Picard nodded. "I had considered that. However, if we don't sign the treaty and the Romulans decide to proceed with their invasion plans, the Klingons will call for Federation assistance. And, after they helped us the way they did during the Dominion War, the Federation will be in no position to refuse such a request, not without risking the entire alliance."  
  
"True," Alex admitted, leaned forward again and picked up his cup of coffee. "Maybe we should go back to looking at the basics."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"We've been talking about what would happen if this and that scenario comes true. What we should be looking at is the question of what exactly it is that the Romulans have to gain from allowing these secret base schematics to fall into Klingon hands at this point."  
  
"It has served to disrupt the peace negotiations?"  
  
"Yes, but I think this is just an added bonus. The truth is, the Romulans have nothing to gain from deliberately informing the Klingons of an impending invasion. The only thing this would accomplish is that the Klingons would be prepared for their arrival - and the Federation along with them, in whichever shape. The element of surprise, the very basic of Romulan battle tactics, would be lost."  
  
"So... what you're saying is that either the Romulans have changed their battle tactics or..."  
  
"Or the schematics aren't real in the first place."  
  
Picard sighed again. "Neither of these options pleases me very much. And I still don't know what I'm going to do now."  
  
"The only thing you can do at this point is wait for things to unfold, I'm afraid."  
  
"Something I'm not very good at."  
  
Alex chuckled. "I noticed."  
  
Picard leaned forward. "Enough of this tactics talk now, however - what I am far more interested in is what made you study interstellar politics at some point in your life."  
  
Alex looked up from his coffee. "What?"  
  
The captain smiled. "No other bartender I know would be able to give such detailed advice on Romulan, Klingon and Federation politics."  
  
"You're right - I really did study interstellar political science and history at university for a while."  
  
"Forgive me for asking this... but why didn't you become a historian? Or an interstellar political science professor?"  
  
"You mean why did I become a simple bartender," Alex retorted.  
  
"I did _not_ mean it that way."  
  
"I know. Sorry. An instinctive reaction - I used to have rather intense arguments with my mother about my career choice." Alex put down his now empty cup of coffee. "Do you know the Ferengi bartender on Deep Space Nine?"  
  
Picard frowned. "Quark?"  
  
"Yes, the very same. He is the one who is partially responsible for the choice I made."  
  
"Forgive me again - but I find that a bit difficult to believe."  
  
Alex laughed. "You're not alone - most people are surprised when I tell them this. You see, back then, after I had left school, everything seemed clear career-wise to me for quite a while. I was studying interstellar political science and history at one of the biggest German universities, my grades were okay - not brilliant since I tend to be a bit lazy sometimes - and I was living in a nice little apartment right across the street from my lecture hall. But I always had the feeling that something was missing. The whole politics stuff was interesting enough, but there was no way of really experiencing it. It was all just theoretical. And then, one day, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to accompany her to Deep Space Nine for a short trip. A very short one, granted - back then the Klingons had not really been our best friends for some time and the Dominion threat seemed to become very much real as well, and the last thing we wanted was to be stuck right in the middle of a conflict. But, we went, and one of the first things I saw when we stepped out of the airlock was that Ferengi behind that bar. Something told me to go there right this instant, and that's exactly what I did. I sat down at the bar with my bag and Quark looked at me - and had figured me out within seconds."  
  
"That is a quality most bartenders possess," Picard remarked. "It is, however, also a Ferengi trait."  
  
"Yeah, their business opportunities depend on it. I know." Alex leaned back again. "It's very hard to explain, but in that moment I just knew that I wanted to be able to do this, too - and to use it to learn about the practical use of politics and history by talking to different species, by having different customers with different opinions on basically all kinds of subjects and so on. So, after I got back home from Deep Space Nine, I quit university without graduating and started taking bartending classes - much to my mother's horror. She was worried that I'd end up with a knife between my ribs at some point during a bar fight. Therefore she preferred the idea of me ending up sitting in a professor's office all day."  
  
"But you went through with your bartender plans."  
  
"Yes. I took the classes and then, right after passing the final test, I was lucky enough to find a job in one of the biggest bars in the largest street of St. Pauli, a district of Hamburg."  
  
"Ah, the Reeperbahn."  
  
Alex gaped at him. "You know the street?"  
  
"Of course. I used to be quite fond of bar hopping during my Starfleet Academy days. And, well... the German Reeperbahn was - and still is, I assume - a most... interesting place for someone who is looking for things that... erm... go beyond a simple date."  
  
Alex grinned. "You mean you wanted to visit what people once called 'the kinky red light district'."  
  
Picard blushed. "Yes. Erm. I... I... was young and... very eager to... experiment."  
  
"No need to explain, I understand perfectly. And yes, it is still the same old Reeperbahn that it used to be. With a modern touch, of course, but the sense of belonging and friendship is still there."  
  
Picard nodded. "I've heard of this, yes. And, speaking from the point of view of history - even centuries ago, when people whose sexual preference was not heterosexual were hated, feared and ridiculed, the Reeperbahn provided a place for them to go and just be themselves without having to fear judgment from the rest of society."  
  
"Another reason why I wanted to work there, yes." Alex folded his legs. "You know, maybe we should go there together the next time we're in orbit around Earth." He smiled mischievously. "For purely scientific reasons, of course. Exploring the history of the place, y'know?"  
  
"I... I... erm..."  
  
" _LaForge to Picard._ "  
  
He tensed briefly and then tapped his communicator. "Picard here."  
  
" _Captain, I've just finished my analysis of the Klingon chip you gave me._ "  
  
Picard took a deep breath before he answered. "Arrange for a meeting of the senior staff in the Observation Lounge in ten minutes."  
  
" _Aye, sir. LaForge out._ "  
  
Picard looked at Alex. "I have to go now - but I will be back later." He stopped for a moment but then continued. "If you would... you know... like to wait for me here?"  
  
Alex smiled broadly. "I would love to."


	4. Chapter 4

Picard sat down on the largest chair at the head of the Observation Lounge table and could not resist glancing at his assembled senior staff. It had been almost two years since Data's death, Beverly's departure to Starfleet Medical and Will's and Deanna's assignment to the Titan - by all rational means he should have gotten used to the faces that surrounded him now, but, the truth was, the nostalgic part of his mind still hadn't.  
  
LaForge was standing next to the large screen to the left of the table while the rest of the officers were seated and looking expectantly at him. Even Dr. Pulaski was present - no doubt to rattle the cage a bit, like she always had and always would. After her (rather hasty) departure from the Enterprise-D she had gone back to Starfleet Medical and had taken over the genetics department. During that time she had also accepted a few temporary assignments on various starships, but always only as an advisor, never an actual officer. However, when she had heard that Beverly Crusher had left the Enterprise-E she had contacted Picard and had asked him - in her usual blunt way - if he could deal with the thought of having her back permanently as his CMO.  
  
And... Picard could.  
  
He glanced at Lieutenant Commander Mordock, the Benzite OPs officer who seemed particularly eager to hear what LaForge had to say, and remembered how young Wesley Crusher had told him about the somewhat shy Benzite who had beaten him at his first attempt at getting into Starfleet Academy. These days was no shyness left anywhere anymore, though - Mordock had become a confident Starfleet officer, and his career record had been so impressive that Picard had not hesitated to select him as Data's replacement.  
  
Next to Mordock sat the ship's first officer, Commander Martin Madden. Picard could not resist drawing at least a few parallels between Madden and Will Riker - the two men shared a lot of character traits, and one thing they definitely had in common was their tendency to stumble into possibly troublesome relationships. Of course Picard did not care to interfere in the personal lives of those under his command, but it was common knowledge that Madden was every bit as popular as Will Riker had been - only he was slightly more popular among the _male_ members of the crew.  
  
He looked over to the opposite side of the table where the chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Colin Burke, had sat down, as always, watching everyone and everything present for possible security risks. At first Picard had thought it to be complete and utter paranoia and he had wondered just why Worf had recommended this particular officer for his replacement before his departure about a year ago, but he had quickly come to trust and appreciate Burke's caution - it had turned out to be very useful on more than one occasion so far.  
  
' _Enough with the nostalgia,_ ' Picard thought and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.  
  
"Thank you all for attending this meeting on such short notice," he said. "Mr. LaForge has a report that, according to him, will offer some new insights on this whole matter. Geordi?"  
  
"Thanks, Captain." LaForge turned towards the screen and activated it. "These are the schematics of the base the Klingons say the Romulans are building. I've had the computer run several diagnostics on both the schematics and the file, I even went through all of it myself - and neither the computer nor I could detect even the slightest abnormality."  
  
"So, it's real?" Burke asked.  
  
"Not necessarily," LaForge replied and touched a button on the viewscreen. The picture changed and showed a non-finished structure in space, rotating slowly. "This is a recording of the construction site that the Klingons claim they found right where it was supposed to be. It has everything you'd expect: A cloaking device, room for troops and their ships and so on. It's the perfect model for the perfect Romulan base, which is precisely what bothers me. The equations, the measurements, everything matches. Anyone who has ever built a base in space, however, will tell you that what you have on your drawing board often doesn't quite turn out the way you thought it would. I'm not talking about putting a window where it doesn't belong - I'm talking about a few millimeters that have to be added to a doorframe, for example. That's the normal way of how construction in space works. The thing is... nothing like that has happened on that construction site so far. And I mean nothing. Not even the slightest correction."  
  
"Not even a computer could be that perfect," Picard remarked.  
  
"Exactly, sir. But there's more." LaForge touched another button on the screen and the picture changed to an endless stream of Klingon words. "These are the sensor logs from the Targ. They basically match Martok's story, and when I realized that, I decided to focus on one issue that bothered me: The first torpedo that hit the Targ and went right through the shields." LaForge pushed another button and a rather small torpedo appeared on the screen. "That's our guy. It's a normal Romulan torpedo, with one exception: It carries a little sensor device that adapts the torpedo's energy output to the frequency of the shields of the ship it's supposed to hit - and then it goes right through."  
  
"Why didn't the Klingons detect this device?" Burke asked.  
  
LaForge raised his index finger. "Here comes the real fun: It's cloaked. I only found it because I investigated the speed of the torpedo and found a slight anomaly."  
  
Burke frowned. "But this means..."  
  
"It means that the Romulans really could have destroyed the Targ had they wanted to," Picard said grimly.  
  
"They most likely even knew that another Klingon ship was in the vicinity and would come to the Targ's aid. I don't have anything to prove that, though. All I can say is that they wanted the Klingons to have these schematics - and escape with them." LaForge switched off the screen and sat down next to Burke.  
  
All heads turned to Picard, who leaned back and tugged his uniform jacket into place. "I want to concentrate on these schematics for now, Commander. You said it's not possible for that construction site to exist in this manner - and yet the Klingons saw it and recorded it. How do you explain that?"  
  
LaForge put his hands on the table. "Well, sir - their logs show that they simply scanned it for a short while and then went straight back to Martok to report. They never beamed over to it or anything."  
  
"Could it be a holographic projection?" Picard asked.  
  
"In space?!" Pulaski chimed in.  
  
"It's possible, yes," LaForge said. "But... in order to find out…"  
  
"We'll have to go there ourselves," Picard concluded.  
  
"The Romulans are going to _really_ hate this," Burke remarked.  
  
"What about the other construction sites?" Madden asked.  
  
"The Klingons only investigated one," LaForge replied. "It was proof enough for them."  
  
"It won't be proof enough for us, however." Picard stood up. "I am going to inform both Chancellor Martok and Ambassador Kelley of this. I will leave the decision of how to proceed to the ambassador and Starfleet Command - but I will urge them strongly to consider sending the Enterprise to investigate."  
  
Pulaski sighed. "I don't like the sound of this, Captain."  
  
"Neither do I, Doctor." Picard looked at his officers and nodded at them. "Dismissed."  
  


 

**********

  
  
  
Picard stepped into his quarters and looked around in confusion. "Alexander? Are you there?"  
  
"Over here." Picard turned and looked into the direction from which Alex’ voice had come. The young bartender was standing in front of one of the many artifact shelves. "You really weren’t kidding about your passion for archaeology."  
  
"I almost _became_ an archaeologist," Picard replied, put the PADD with the schematics on his desk and walked over to Alex.  
  
"I know. It's just hard for me to imagine you as anything other than a starship captain."  
  
Picard sighed. "At this point, I _am_ actually beginning to regret the career choice that I made."  
  
"The briefing didn't go well, huh?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"What's the bottom line?"  
  
"The Enterprise is most likely going to be sent to investigate these Romulan construction sites. Ambassador Kelley has to clear it with the Federation Council and Starfleet Command first, but I for one fear that this is just a formality."  
  
"I can't say I'm surprised." Alex put his arms around Picard and pulled him closer. "When do you expect your final orders?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning," Picard replied, perfectly aware of the fact that he had not been locked in a tender embrace like this ever since Alex and he had been alone in that hotel room on Calder II for the first time.  
  
"So... where does that leave _us_ for tonight?"  
  
"I don't know," Picard whispered hoarsely.  
  
Alex smiled - and then he leaned forward and kissed Picard. It was a cautious kiss at first, like always, but then their lips parted and their tongues began to play with one another. Picard put his hands on Alex' back and leaned into the embrace. The kiss became more and more intense until Picard could feel the young man's cock hardening along with his own.  
  
Alex suddenly broke the kiss and took Picard's hand. "Come on."  
  
"Alexander..."  
  
"Ssssh."  
  
The young bartender simply pulled Picard with him into the direction of the small bedroom, and once they had arrived there they resumed their passionate kiss. Picard, unable to control his lust any longer, grabbed Alex' ass and pressed the young man's erection against his own. They both moaned and the intensity of the kiss increased once more until they both had to let go because they were running out of air.  
  
Picard flashed a shy smile at his young lover - and went down on his knees in front of him. He opened the black pants, pulled them down along with the boxers and then closed his mouth around Alex' cock.  
  
The young man groaned loudly (he had dreamed of a moment like this pretty much every night ever since their hotel room encounter, after all) and began to thrust himself into his lover's hot and wet mouth. Picard matched Alex' movements while he pulled down his own uniform pants and the briefs - his erection had become too insistent to ignore.  
  
Suddenly, Alex put his hand on his lover's bald head. "Jean-Luc?"  
  
The captain stopped, withdrew and looked up at his lover. "Yes?"  
  
"I... I... want you."  
  
Picard inhaled sharply and then managed to stand up, his knees shaking a bit - the real meaning of this simple statement excited him beyond words. It had been so long...  
  
Alex smiled at Picard's obvious approval of the idea and quickly removed his own shirt, boots, socks, pants and boxers. Then he reached for the zipper of Picard's uniform shirt and pulled it down, removed the now open jacket and then threw it on the floor. It was soon joined by the red turtleneck and the gray-blue tank top. Picard waited until the last bit of clothing had been thrown to the floor, then he went on to remove his boots, socks, pants and briefs.  
  
As soon as they were both naked Alex put his arms around Picard again, resuming the kiss once more - only _this_ time their hard cocks came into direct contact for the first time. Both men groaned into each other's mouths, for a second overwhelmed by the feelings this mere contact raised in both of them. Picard, realizing that they had ended up exactly right next to the bed, took the opportunity to gently shove his lover sidewards so that they both fell onto the bed, Alex on top. Their kiss had not been broken, and they both continued eagerly while Picard's huge hands were roaming over Alex' ass.  
  
Alex broke the kiss and began to nibble Picard's neck and then his shoulders. He slowly worked his way over the muscled torso, kissing and licking the sensitive skin. Picard was panting by now and his hands were grabbing the bedsheets, and when Alex closed his mouth over the tip of his erection Picard was unable to keep himself under control. He thrust his cock upwards, deeper into the welcoming wet hotness of Alex' mouth.  
  
The young man put his hands on his lover’s hips and pinned them down while he worked his tongue along the thick veins of Picard's pulsating erection.  
  
"Oh my God, Alexander, please... I... I..."  
  
Alex stopped, smiled at his lover and then sat up. "We'll need a pillow."  
  
Picard reached behind his head, grabbed one of the thick red pillows and handed it to Alex. "This should do nicely."  
  
"Thanks." Alex waited until Picard had raised his hips and then he put the pillow underneath. "Comfortable?"  
  
"Very much so."  
  
Alex looked around. "You got any lube?"  
  
Picard pointed at the bedside table. "Yes, in the back of the second drawer."  
  
"You always keep it in there?" Alex teased, reached out his hand, opened the second drawer and took out a small blue bottle.  
  
Picard smiled sheepishly. "No, I... erm... I... I replicated it a few days ago, actually. I thought it might be useful in the near future."  
  
Alex grinned, opened the bottle and began to spread the lube over his fingers. "You know, this is one thing I love about you - you always think of everything."  
  
Picard chuckled, planted his feet on the bed and spread his legs even further.  
  
Alex moved over and knelt down between Picard's legs. Then reached out his hand and began to softly caress Picard's anus with his right index finger. Picard moaned softly and then a bit louder when one warm, wet finger was quickly joined by another, moving around the puckering hole until it was sufficiently relaxed. Then Alex slowly moved his finger in, gently and carefully - and Picard almost urged him to hurry; the mere feeling of a finger inside him almost sent him over the edge and he felt his cock twitch in response.  
  
Alex, however, continued his slow exploration and moved his index finger around inside Picard's ass, and only when he was certain that his lover was relaxed enough did he add another finger.  
  
Picard began to pant heavily and the first drops of sweat appeared on his forehead - _two_ fingers inside him was almost too good to be true.  
  
Alex felt his own cock throbbing at his lover's obvious arousal - he wanted him, now more than ever.  
  
He pulled out his fingers, put lube on his cock in one long stroke (he didn't dare do anything further, he certainly _didn't_ need any additional stimulation at this point) and then moved over Picard and began to slowly enter him. Only when he had buried his cock deep inside Picard's ass did Alex open his eyes and look directly into Picard's. The captain raised his right hand and briefly put it on his lover's cheek.  
  
"I... I love you, Alexander."  
  
Alex took a deep breath and then he began to move inside Picard, slowly at first but soon he was unable to hold himself back - Picard's ass was too tight and too hot and too perfect...  
  
It didn't take very long. Both of them had wanted this to happen very badly and now that it finally did neither had any kind of control left over themselves. Alex' movements became faster and faster, and when he noticed that Picard was as close to coming as he was, he closed his hand around Picard's hard cock and began to pump it skillfully. Picard lost control with a deep moan and cum squirted out of his cock and all over his hairy chest.  
  
The sight of this triggered Alex' climax as well and he came deep inside his lover's ass. Then he fell onto Picard's chest and buried his head next to his shoulder.  
  
Neither of the two men moved - both were too busy with gasping for air.  
  
"That was... that was..." Picard managed to pant.  
  
"Whatever you're... going to... say, I... I agree..."


	5. Chapter 5

  
  
" _Captain’s log, supplemental. After receiving the final orders from the Federation Council and Starfleet Command the Enterprise is en route to investigate the Romulan construction site that the Klingons claim to have encountered in space. The most surprising reaction to these latest developments has come from the Romulan delegation on Galorndon Core: They agreed to put the peace negotiations on hold for a few days until this matter has been resolved. I, however, remain sceptical - at this point I am at a loss to determine whether they want us to find something or not._ "  
  
Picard stood up from his chair, tugged his uniform jacket into place and began to pace back and forth. He didn't like the current situation in the slightest - traveling through Klingon space so close to the Romulan Neutral Zone was tricky at best already. At this point, however, the whole thing was just about ready to turn into a suicide mission.  
  
' _If only the Federation had never agreed to these negotiations in the first place,_ ' he thought - and immediately scolded himself for it; he himself had witnessed the possibility of peaceful relations with the Romulans on more than one occasion, after all.  
  
And yet he found himself wondering whether all this was truly worth it.  
  
" _Red alert! Captain Picard to the bridge!_ "  
  
Picard tensed for a second and then quickly walked towards the door of his ready room - he knew his first officer well enough by now to determine that he was more than just agitated.  


 

 

************

  
  
  
Picard stepped onto the bridge. "Report."  
  
Madden stood up from the captain's chair. "We've just dropped out of warp - we've received an automated distress call from a tiny one-man Romulan ship that seems to be drifting in space. It appears to have come from the Neutral Zone. It's badly damaged. We've already tried hailing it. No response."  
  
Picard turned to Burke. "Let me hear the distress call, Commander."  
  
" _To any vessel within range: This is the Romulan scout ship Vilar. I require immediate assistance. To any vessel within range -_ "  
  
"Alright, that's enough." Picard took a deep breath. "How long will it take for us to reach the ship?"  
  
"At full impulse about seven minutes," the helmsman replied.  
  
Picard sat down in his chair. "Set a course, full impulse. Commander, keep trying to hail the scout ship. Tell them we're on our way."  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
Picard tapped the small panel on the armrest of his chair and was just about to bring up the latest schematics when Burke interrupted him.  
  
"Captain, we're being hailed."  
  
"On screen."  
  
The large viewscreen flickered to life and then showed a mess of cables, bulkheads and smashed consoles. Right in the middle of it all sat a rather scruffy-looking young Romulan.  
  
" _Enterprise?!_ "  
  
"This is the Enterprise," Picard confirmed. "To whom am I speaking?"  
  
" _I'm Lieutenant Jotal! I hearby request immediate Federation asylum! I -_ "  
  
The viewscreen went dark.  
  
"Captain, his ship is falling apart," Mordock interrupted. "A warp core breach is imminent."  
  
"Are we in transporter range yet?" Picard asked.  
  
"Yes, but just barely."  
  
"Picard to transporter room three - lock on to that Romulan and beam him aboard!"  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
A few seconds passed without anyone saying anything until Mordock broke the silence. "The Romulan ship has just exploded, Captain."  
  
"Transporter room? Did you get him?"  
  
" _Yes, sir - he's here._ "  
  
"Alright." Picard stood up. "Let's see what he has to say. Commander Burke, you're with me."  


 

 

**********

  
  
  
Picard looked at the young Romulan who was standing in front of his ready room desk. "Well, Lieutenant - what is this urgent business that you wished to discuss with me right away?"  
  
"Let me just say a few other things first," Jotal replied. "I know about your current mission. I know about the Klingons and that the peace treaty negotiations with the Romulan Empire have been put on hold."  
  
Picard leaned back in his chair but said nothing.  
  
"A few days ago I managed to escape from a secret Romulan Neutral Zone base whose construction started shortly after the Dominion War. It was built for only one purpose: To operate a long-range energy net that supplies large amounts of power to a nearby holographic generator, and -" He broke off and began to cough violently.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need any medical assistance?" Picard asked, concerned.  
  
"No, I'm fine. I just inhaled too much smoke." Jotal coughed once more. "Captain, I was one of those monitoring the power supply for that energy net. I only found out what it's really being used for when I heard about the accusations the Klingons had made against us. That was when I put the pieces together. And I didn't like the picture I saw."  
  
"What _did_ you see?"  
  
"That generator I mentioned creates false images in space that look completely real, similar to what a holodeck does, only on a larger scale. It also radiates a modified beam that locks on to the frequency of the sensors that scan its image and then alters them in that very second. The image then appears to be real, as do the sensor logs, and there is no way of tracing the false origin. The Klingon ship Targ encountered that very same technology when they were hit by a torpedo that was equipped with a small version of that sensor beam device. Some of it is still in its experimental stage - but we have been very pleased with it so far."  
  
"So, what you're saying is that the Romulan construction sites the Klingons found aren't real?"  
  
"No, they're not. It's all a very elaborate fake, made by us, to fool both you and the Klingons."  
  
Picard leaned forward. "Who is this 'we' that you keep mentioning? The Romulan government? A resistance group?"  
  
"There are no resistance groups anymore. Ever since the unification movement was crushed no one has had the courage to come up with anything even remotely similar." Jotal folded his arms across his chest. "I'm a member of the Tal'Shiar."  
  
"The Tal'Shiar?" Picard echoed. "This does not inspire any confidence in your story - on the contrary, it only makes me question it further."  
  
Jotal shrugged. "There _is_ no reason for you to trust me. And to make things even worse, I haven't brought any evidence with me. I could have, but I chose not to."  
  
Picard frowned. "Why?"  
  
Jotal sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Because, Captain, if there's one thing the Tal'Shiar teaches you it's that the validity of evidence is always in the hands of the one who creates it."  
  
Picard sighed and shook his head. "Even if all of this is true - why would the Tal'Shiar be so concerned about a peace treaty with the Federation? That temporary alliance during the Dominion War saved not only Earth but Romulus as well. It did both sides a lot of good."  
  
"The Tal'Shiar believes that the Romulan Empire is strong all by itself and that it doesn't need any allies, especially not after what happened when we trusted the Cardassians and their Obsidian Order."  
  
"Do you believe that as well?"  
  
"I used to. But, like I said, I no longer like the picture I'm seeing. And I think, of all the major forces in the galaxy, the Federation is the one the Romulan Empire should turn to."  
  
"Is that why you requested Federation asylum?"  
  
"Partly. If my people find me, they will kill me. No one leaves the Tal'Shiar."  
  
"So it is mostly our _protection_ you're after."  
  
"Oh, I'm prepared to give you something in return." Jotal leaned forward. "I know how to counteract the effect of that modifying beam I told you about."  
  
Picard raised an eyebrow. "That is quite a bit of knowledge for a low-ranking Tal'Shiar agent who simply monitors energy flows."  
  
"I haven't always done that," Jotal said. "I was assigned to do that because I asked one too many questions. And I know so much about that modifying device because... I'm the one who designed it."  
  
Picard looked at the young Romulan in complete and utter disbelief. "You?"  
  
Jotal smiled sarcastically. "That surprises you, doesn't it? I was once considered what your people would call a wunderkind. I built my first cloaking device at the age of three. I was solving mathematical equations before I could even read a word. That's why the Tal'Shiar was very interested in having me as a member."  
  
Picard leaned back again and stroked his chin.  
  
"You don't believe me," Jotal concluded.  
  
"I'm not sure if I should."  
  
"It doesn't matter at this point anyway - you have to continue your investigation, with or without me. With me, however, you stand a much better chance of _completing_ it."  
  
Picard looked at Jotal once more and then tapped his communicator. "Commander Madden? Resume our previous course, maximum warp."  


 

 

**********

  
  
  
"It all comes down to _one_ question: Can we trust him?" Burke said and leaned back in his comfortable Observation Lounge chair.  
  
"I agree, Commander, but the _very_ first thing we should clarify is whether he is who he claims to be." Picard looked at Pulaski. "Doctor?"  
  
She put her hands on the table. "He is a biological Romulan, alright - nothing suggests otherwise. However, there is something that I think I should mention."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"He has a lot of scars on his back and shoulders. They look like scars from some kind of whip, much like the ones the Ferengi use."  
  
"Why would anyone whip him?" Mordock interrupted, a look of horror on his face.  
  
"It's common Tal'Shiar practice to discipline members in this manner - especially young ones," Burke replied.  
  
"Which, as horrible as it is, actually confirms the story he told us," Madden remarked.  
  
"What he told you makes a lot of sense in more than one regard Captain," LaForge said. "I went over the readings from that torpedo again and I'm now very much convinced that technology like the one he described really exists."  
  
"This isn't the first Romulan defector who claims to come with vital information", Burke objected. "We shouldn't be so quick to trust him."  
  
Picard sighed. "Whatever his true intentions are, our main objective is still to determine whether the readings the Klingons claim they took are real or not. However, Jotal's presence might help us to accomplish our goal a lot faster - if he has told us the truth, of course." He looked at LaForge. "In the meantime, Commander, I want you to talk to him. Find out if he really is as much of a genius as he claims to be."  
  
"Yes, sir."


	6. Chapter 6

Alex raised an eyebrow when he saw the young Romulan who had just walked into Eleven Forward with one of Commander Burke's security guards. Jotal looked around briefly and then walked straight up to the bar while the security guard remained right beside the door.  
  
"A Romulan ship would never waste space on a bar," he said and looked at Alex.  
  
"It serves its purpose," the bartender replied. "In more than one way."  
  
Jotal pointed at the empty seat in front of Alex. "May I?"  
  
"Sure. Want a drink?"  
  
Jotal frowned. "Aren't you going to ask me who I am first?"  
  
"I'm a bartender, not an interrogator."  
  
"On Romulus, these two are the same."  
  
Alex smiled. "Point taken. But... you haven't answered my question. Want a drink?"  
  
"You got any Romulan Ale?"  
  
"Romulan Ale is illegal in Federation space these days."  
  
Jotal made a face. "I should've known."  
  
"However..." Alex reached below the bar and pulled out a bottle with a blue beverage inside. "We're traveling through _Klingon_ space right now, and, as much as they hate Romulans, they aren't as picky about their drinks as the Federation is."  
  
Jotal grinned. "I think I'll like it in here after all."   
  
  


**********

  
  
  
" _Madden to Picard. We have reached the coordinates the Klingons gave us._ "  
  
"Thank you, Commander." Picard stood up, walked out of the ready room and onto the bridge. "Report."  
  
LaForge looked up from the engineering console. "The sensor modifications I made based on Jotal's suggestions seem to be working - otherwise we'd now be seeing what the Klingons saw. We are picking up something, though: A faint energy reading."  
  
"Could that be the holographic generator?"  
  
"It sure looks that way."  
  
"Are there any indications of Romulan activity?" Picard asked. "Something tells me that they would not leave the Neutral Zone unguarded, especially now that it appears like as if one of their Tal'Shiar operatives is missing."  
  
Mordock shook his head. "Nothing, sir."  
  
"Their cloaked ships could be all around us," Madden remarked.  
  
"They most likely are." Picard sat down in the captain's chair. "Very well - we'll play along. Proceed to the next set of coordinates."   
  
  


**********

  
  
  
"I take back what I said about this place," Jotal said and drowned another large gulp of Romulan ale.  
  
Alex looked up from the chocolate ice cream sundae that he had been preparing (he didn't trust the replicator to get this one right). "Oh?"  
  
"Our ships should have something like this - a place where no one tries to stab you in the back."  
  
"Literally or figuratively?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"Trust no one, eh? I've always been fascinated by the Romulan approach towards life."  
  
Jotal rubbed his forehead while Alex quickly re-filled his empty glass. "My father always used to say that suspicion is within our very blood. The good thing is that it's impossible to fool a Romulan. Well, a decent one, anyway. There are exceptions."  
  
"Exceptions?" Alex echoed.  
  
"Well... Commander Tomalak, for example."  
  
"Tomalak? Isn't he the commanding officer of the Romulan flagship?"  
  
Jotal laughed out loud while Alex handed the now finished ice cream sundae to one of the waiters. "That position is a joke nowadays. It offers no honor. No prestige. Very different from this ship, I assume."  
  
"Very," Alex confirmed. "But how come that your flagship is like that?"  
  
Jotal took another large sip. "Unlike any of our other ships, it's not controlled by the military. It's basically the property of the Senate. Its commander has no influence whatsoever. He can't even pick his own crew."  
  
"So it's all just for diplomatic show?"  
  
Jotal nodded. "Yes. Tomalak wasn't chosen because he's a great hero of the Romulan Empire. He was chosen because he is not. He didn't manage to complete any of the missions he was sent on while he was still commanding an insignificant warbird - because your captain tricked him every single time. And, to us, a Romulan who allows himself to be tricked by a human is no Romulan at all."  
  
"Then why didn't you just get rid of him?" Alex asked.  
  
"That would've been too easy. The disgrace he represented was too great. So, he got what he deserved - something to remind him of his failures at every possible moment."  
  
"He mustn't like Picard very much," Alex remarked.  
  
"You could say that. If I were in charge of this mission I wouldn't let Picard set foot into that chamber on Galorndon Core again. It will be the last chance for Tomalak to get a shot at him."  
  
"You mean he's going to kill him?"  
  
Jotal grinned. "Are you familiar with Varon-T disruptors?"  
  
"I've heard of them. Nasty little things."  
  
"Then you probably also know that there are only five of them in existence. Four were in the possession of a trader named Kivas Fajo before Starfleet destroyed them. The fifth one used to be in the possession of the Tal'Shiar. It disappeared a few weeks ago."  
  
Alex frowned. "The Tal'Shiar allowed something like that to disappear?"  
  
"Exactly. We allowed it to disappear."  
  
"Oh. You mean you _let_ Tomalak steal it."  
  
Jotal smiled.  
  
Alex put his hands on the bar. "Does this mean the Tal'Shiar wants Picard dead?"  
  
Jotal shrugged. "It's not the Tal'Shiar's fault if a disgraced Romulan Commander kills the man responsible for his situation. The much more unfortunate result, however, will be the Federation's withdrawal from the negotiations - and that it will never come back for any others."  
  
"Didn't you try to accomplish that with all these holographic images in space you told me about?"  
  
Jotal raised his glass. "The Tal'Shiar never relies on only _one_ plan."   
  
  


************

  
  
  
"Captain, this final scan confirms it," LaForge said from the engineering console. "All the coordinates the Klingons gave us lead to nothing but holographic projections."  
  
Picard sighed deeply and was just about to make a remark when an alert sounded.  
  
"Sir, two Romulan warbirds are decloaking right in front of us!" Burke exclaimed.  
  
Picard tensed. "Hail them."  
  
"No response."  
  
"Have they locked weapons on us?"  
  
"No, sir. They haven't even raised their shields. Should we raise ours?"  
  
"Negative, Commander. If they were here to fight, they would already have started to do so." Picard turned in his chair and looked at LaForge. "Why didn't we detect their presence earlier?"  
  
LaForge stared at his readings. "I've never seen this kind of cloaking device configuration before - and neither have our sensors."  
  
"Captain, they're hailing us," Burke chimed in.  
  
"On screen."  
  
"It's audio only."  
  
"Very well."  
  
" _Captain Picard?_ " a female voice asked.  
  
"This is Picard."  
  
" _Please forgive our sudden appearance. We are simply on a rescue mission. You had one of our operatives aboard._ "  
  
"What do you mean, 'had'?"  
  
" _We've already dealt with the problem._ "  
  
"What?" Picard glanced at Burke, who was typing into his console. A few seconds later a short sentence appeared on the small armrest screen of Picard's chair. ' _ **NO ROMULAN LIFE SIGNS ABOARD THE ENTERPRISE**_ '  
  
" _We could simply have taken him while we were cloaked but we decided to appear in order to let you know what you would be up against if you decided to ally yourselves with the Romulan Empire_ ," the voice explained.  
  
"You are part of the Romulan Empire, too," Picard argued. "How can you act against your own people?"  
  
The voice laughed. " _We are not here to debate Tal'Shiar politics. We only appeared as a courtesy to you - you are a well-known man in the Empire. Some of us almost respect you, so, I am willing to tell you this: The Tal’Shiar is not on **anyone** 's side. And will never be._"  
  
"Captain, the ships are cloaking again!" Burke slammed his fist on his console. "I lost them the moment they did so! What the hell _are_ these cloaking devices?!"  
  
"Captain, we have another problem," LaForge said. "The holographic readings are gone."  
  
"Elaborate."  
  
"They just disappeared, sir." LaForge checked his console once more. "I'm reading nothing at all out there. It's like as if... as if..."  
  
"Nothing had ever been there in the first place," Picard finished grimly.  
  
"Exactly."


	7. Chapter 7

Picard walked into Eleven Forward where LaForge was standing at the bar with a tricorder in his hand, scanning the very spot from which Jotal had vanished in a green transporter beam about half an hour ago.  
  
Alex was sitting behind the bar, watching him nervously. "How long's this going to take, Geordi? I have to re-open this bar soon. The afternoon shift's gonna want to come in any moment."  
  
"It won't take much longer, don't worry," LaForge replied. "Oh - hello, Captain."  
  
"Commander." Picard nodded at the young bartender. "Alexander."  
  
"Captain."  
  
Picard looked at LaForge. "What have you found out so far?"  
  
The chief engineer put the tricorder into the small toolbox that he had brought with him. "I'd never have guessed that a transporter beam was involved in whatever happened here. Our internal sensors didn't detect anything. The tricorder at least tells me that there was some kind of energy fluctuation, but that's all. I've never seen technology like this. It leaves almost no trace. It's gonna take me quite a while to find out how it works."  
  
"I have full confidence in your abilities as an engineer, Mr. LaForge." Picard turned towards Alex. "You were the last person to interact with Jotal. What was he doing?"  
  
"He was... err... drinking something."  
  
Picard raised an eyebrow.  
  
Alexander smiled sheepishly. "I gave him some... well, some Romulan Ale."  
  
"Was he just drinking or did he say anything to you?"  
  
"He was rather talkative, actually. I'm not sure he meant to tell me what he did, but then, with Tal'Shiar agents, you never know." Alex took a deep breath. "He basically told me that Tomalak is going to try to kill you."  
  
Picard stared at him. "What?"  
  
"He said that Tomalak stole a Varon-T disruptor from the Tal'Shiar, or rather, the Tal'Shiar allowed him to escape with it, and it seems he plans to use that one to kill you. He's been mad at you for years. And now that he was 'chosen' to command the Romulan flagship -"  
  
"Wait a second," LaForge interrupted. "I don't understand, why would he be angry about being put in charge of the Romulan flagship?"  
  
"Because that position is considered one of the most blatant insults," Picard replied. "I assume Tomalak blames _me_ for his bad fortune because I kept a few of his missions from succeeding...?"  
  
Alex nodded. "Yeah. So, beaming down to Galorndon Core again might not be a wise idea for you at this point, Captain."  
  
"On the contrary," Picard said calmly. "That is _precisely_ what I am going to do. Commander LaForge, I want a senior staff meeting in 30 minutes, please inform the other officers. - Thank you, Alexander. You've been very helpful." He turned and began to walk towards the door.  
  
"Err, Captain? About that Romulan Ale...?" Alex asked.  
  
Picard glanced back over his shoulder, a slight smile in the corner of his mouth. "I have seen no evidence for the presence of illegal drinks in this bar. Do you wish to report anything regarding this matter?"  
  
Alex returned the slight smile. "No, sir."  
  
"Very well, then. Carry on." Picard walked out of Eleven Forward, and neither he nor Alex noticed the knowing grin on LaForge's face.

 

**********

 

"Captain Picard. Welcome back to Galorndon Core."  
  
"Thank you, Ambassador Kelley. I regret that this meeting is not happening under better circumstances."  
  
"So do we. I've just been informed that the Klingons have left orbit. Is that true?"  
  
"Yes, it is. They didn't take it very well that they have been tricked," Picard said. "But they're at least no longer threatening to end the Federation-Klingon alliance."  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
Picard walked over to the large table and handed both Kelley and Donatra a PADD. "I took the liberty of arranging for a final report on everything that we have discovered. Not that it will make any difference, unfortunately."  
  
"Are you certain you wish to withdraw from these negotiations?" Donatra asked. "The Romulan government had nothing to do with the actions of the Tal'Shiar."  
  
Kelley sighed. "It's no longer up to me and my delegation, I'm afraid. Both Starfleet and the Federation Council agree that under these circumstances a peace treaty is -"  
  
"Picard!"  
  
Picard whirled around and found himself looking at Tomalak, who had just stepped out of a dark corner, in his hand something that looked very much like a certain Varon-T disruptor.  
  
"Nobody moves!"  
  
"Commander Tomalak?!" Donatra exclaimed.  
  
Tomalak waved the disruptor in the direction of the Romulan delegation. "Stay out of this! This is between Picard and me!" He glared at the Starfleet captain. "You are the reason for _everything_ that went wrong in my career."  
  
"Commander -"  
  
"Oh, don't bother, Picard." Tomalak took another step forward. "You won't be able to talk your way out of _this_ one."  
  
The Starfleet captain stared at the Romulan. "Do you seriously believe you're going to get away with _murder_?"  
  
"Of course not," Tomalak snapped. "A few moments is all I have, my men can't fight the entire Romulan security force outside. But a few moments is all I _need_." He raised his weapon, aimed at Picard's head, fired - and hit a force field.  
  
He froze. "Wha-"  
  
Picard quickly drew the phaser that he had hidden under his uniform jacket and fired it at an utterly confused Tomalak, who dropped to the floor, unconscious.  
  
In that moment the doors were thrown open - the Romulan security force had finally arrived.  
  
"Hold your fire!" Donatra called out. "Everything is under control!"  
  
"I am really going to have to congratulate Mr. LaForge on his latest force field invention," Picard muttered and deactivated the portable force field generator on his arm while the Romulan security guards began to drag Tomalak away.  
  
Kelley sighed. "And with this, another Tal'Shiar plot comes to an end."  
  
Donatra jumped up from her seat. "What?!"  
  
Picard looked at her. "Praetor, you will find evidence for the involvement of the Tal'Shiar on the PADD that I just gave you. My apologies for not telling you about all this in advance, but I felt it was vital for you to witness this as a warning of how far the Tal'Shiar was willing to go to sabotage these negotiations."  
  
The Romulan delegation began to whisper among themselves while Donatra simply stared at the PADD in her hand, visibly shaken.  
  
Kelley stood up. "Praetor Donatra, I must hereby inform you - officially and regretfully - that the Federation withdraws from the peace treaty negotiations. The rather powerful technology the Tal'Shiar appears to have along with its influence in the Romulan Empire represent too much of an obstacle. Its methods are incompatible with the Federation's most basic principles and therefore an alliance between our two people is _not_ an option at this point."  
  
Donatra looked at him, a mixture of shock and confusion on her face. "We... we accept your withdrawal with great sadness, but since I myself have indeed just witnessed how far our intelligence service is willing to go, I understand your reasons and I hope that, despite all this, we will find a way to form a peace treaty. One day, perhaps."  
  
Kelley nodded. "One day."

**********

 

"Oh my God," LaForge muttered and rubbed his temples.  
  
"Headache?" Pulaski asked. "I thought you got rid of your constant headaches along with the VISOR...?"  
  
"I did," LaForge grumbled, "but things were just a bit _too_ much in the past few days."  
  
Madden took a sip from his coffee. "You could say that. - Hey, look who's here."  
  
Pulaski and LaForge turned their heads and looked at the door of Eleven Forward where Picard had just walked in. He took a brief look around and then headed straight for the bar.  
  
"What's he doing?" Pulaski wondered. "He never orders directly from the bar."  
  
LaForge smiled. "I have a feeling that he's finally going to do what he should've done quite a while ago."  
  
"What do you mean?" Madden asked.  
  
"Just wait."  
  
They (and everyone else in Eleven Forward) watched how Alex turned towards Picard and smiled at him. Then Picard reached out his hand, Alex took it, pulled him close - and briefly kissed his cheek.  
  
They smiled once more at one another and then Picard walked to his table in the corner and sat down, seemingly oblivious to the open mouths around him.  
  
" _These_ two?" Madden whispered excitedly. "I _never_ would have guessed!"  
  
"Neither would I! How did you know, Geordi?" Pulaski urged.  
  
"I saw what happened to their skin temperature whenever they talked to one another." LaForge took a sip from his ale, put his glass down and then pointed at his artificial eyes. "They could fool the entire crew - but they couldn't fool _these_."


	8. Chapter 8

  
The underground cavern was dark, cold and wet.  
  
In short, it was the perfect place for a meeting of two lone, dark figures.  
  
"It really worked," one of them said.  
  
"As I said it would," the other one replied.  
  
"It was very honorable of you to sacrifice one of your most successful operatives."  
  
"He was a patriot and therefore rewarded accordingly. - I hope the person aboard the Targ who helped us was rewarded in the same way?"  
  
"He is now in Sto'Vo'Kor."  
  
"Excellent. We have accomplished our mutual goal - the Federation and the Romulan Empire will not be allies in the near future _and_ therefore be no threat to you. I would like for us to work together again at some point."  
  
"As would I."  
  
"Until our next meeting, then."  
  
"Until then."  
  
They nodded at one another and then turned and walked away in opposite directions.


End file.
